How to prevent age discrimination from your CV

An employer is not allowed to discriminate against someone’s age when deciding who to hire. But policing this kind of choice is very difficult, so it’s important to write a CV that doesn’t open your self up to this or anything else.

Here’s how to prevent age discrimination when an employer reads your CV:

Remove date of birth

The first place to start is by removing your date of birth. Naturally the employer is going to figure out how old you are when they see this, and will subconsciously or even consciously begin to build up a picture of you.

Stating your date of birth is not a mandatory requirement, and should of course have no bearing on your chances of getting an interview. If you’re perceived as being too young or old for the role, you are not going to get a chance to prove them wrong in an interview if you allow the employer to decide from your CV.

Remove dates from qualifications

Another way an employer can estimate your age is from your school, college or university grades. If you put a date or timeline on your education, it will be relatively straight forward to guess your age within a small margin of error.

The exception to this rule is if a qualification has an expiry date and you need to prove yours is within the expected time frame. If there is also any other reasons why a date would be extremely important to have on your education, then don’t risk leaving it off and spoiling your chances. But this is something you could consider if you feel your age could be discriminated against.

Remove all personal information

There is not a mandatory requirement to include your religious or political beliefs, and you do not have to state your gender, height or age. The only information you need to provide as a minimum is your full name and contact details. We would always advise providing both an email address and telephone number, in case the employer has a preference.

Discrimination is very hard to stop, and even the most honest of employers can lean towards or away from a candidate based on a piece of personal information without even realising it.

The problem with a CV is that it’s like reading a novel. There are no pictures so the reader decides to create their own images in their mind. This would always be different for everyone, and unless you’re Derren Brown it is likely to be wrong every single time. This doesn’t stop a creative mind having a guess at what you look like and your personality.

The employer doesn’t need to receive any personal information which will assist them in doing this, and the only way they should find out what you look like, how you present yourself, and what your personality is like is by inviting you in for an interview. At this stage you now have a chance at proving how great you will be for the role.